It is certain that city council members will ask about this raid at an emergency meeting on Monday

Dozens of heavily armed police officers descended on Sunday night to the baseball stadium parking lot, which served as a launch area for protesters in downtown.

The police removed vehicles and at least one fuel tanker stored in the Coventry Road area. Ottawa Police later announced that they arrested two people on-site, with other arrests elsewhere that day related to the protest.

About 10 protesters wearing reflective vests stood in front of fuel supplies stored towards the southern end of the site.

Snipers stood on the stadium roof and the hotel on either side of the parking lot as police moved around the camp.

The protesters shouted "shame, shame" and "on the wrong side of history" at the officers. As the police moved, one protester was heard saying, "This can't end well." There were no reports of injuries.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson told CBC Ottawa Morning radio on Monday that the removed tanker contained about 3,500 liters of fuel.

It is still believed that there is more fuel and other supplies such as food stored in the parking lot, which volunteers were transporting to protesters to disrupt what is called the "red zone" around the Parliament building.

Ottawa police said on Sunday they would stop these supply operations. Protesters say they plan to continue bringing fuel downtown.

Organizers say they are trying to annoy residents and politicians into accepting their goals, whether that is ending all COVID-19 rules across Canada or the resignation of all members of the Senate and the Governor General.

The police acknowledged that later, allowing trucks to park in the city-owned RCGT Park east of downtown was a major mistake in what they described as an unprecedented protest.

When the government offered this site to protesters more than a week ago for protesting, the idea was to get trucks out of downtown. But protesters quickly organized themselves into a supply camp, with large food tents, and recently, the addition of three sauna bathrooms.

The dramatic police raid will certainly be one of many issues discussed at the emergency council meeting scheduled for 1 p.m.

Several council members were frank in their criticisms about the need to show police force in law enforcement and are likely to welcome what the police did on Sunday night.

The council is also likely to address other measures called for by several council members, whether that is requesting help from the military - which the Prime Minister said the country must be "very, very cautious" with – or requesting help from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to take over Wellington Street, although responsibility for the road lies with the city.

The police received approval from the Ottawa Police Services Board at an emergency meeting on Saturday to assign 257 Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers. It is unclear how many RCMP officers have joined local police so far.

Mayor Watson is also expected to discuss the reasons for declaring a state of emergency on Sunday, describing these protests as "the most serious emergency our city has ever faced."

While the city’s state of emergency grants the municipality limited broad powers - it mostly makes it easier and faster for the city to provide supplies, including tow trucks - a provincial state of emergency brings more powers.

Under Ontario's Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act, the province can restrict the movement of people within the city. For example, it can prevent people who cannot prove they live and work in the "red zone" from entering and exiting the area.

Editor: Dima Abu Khair